Welt hold-downs for shoe attaching machines



March 14, 1961 T. P. COURCHENE 2,974,334

WELT HOLD-DOWNS FOR SHOE ATTACHING MACHINES Original Filed Nov. 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fnl/entar Theodore P Cou/"c/zene By his Attorney March 14, 1961 T. P. COURCHENE 2,974,334

WELT HOLD-DOWNS FOR SHOE ATTACHING MACHINES Original Filed NOV- 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 14, 1961 WELT HOLD-DOWNS FOR SHOE ATTACHING MACHINES Original application Nov. 7, 1957, Ser. No. 695,056. and this application Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 12-33.4)

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for attaching soles to shoes with adhesive by the application of pressure, and is illustrated herein as embodied in an improved hold-down for supporting and pressing a welt or other projecting marginal portion of a shoe against an outsole while attadhing the outsole to the shoe bottom. More particularly, the improved holddown is intended for use with a machine disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,923,953 granted February 9, 1960, the application for which was filed in the name of the present inventor, of which application the present one is a division. I

The machine of the patent above identified is constructed and arranged to apply a pressure to a shoe bottom and is equipped with a pad on the one hand and lastand toe-engaging members on the other hand, mounted for relative movement to force the shoe bottom against the pad, a hold-down being provided to support the projecting marginal portion of the welt, as a cramping plate carried by the machine and formed with converging hold-down actuating surfaces at opposite sides of the shoe causes forces to be transmitted to the holddown against the bulging upper at the sides of the shoe.

The purposes of the improved hold-down are generally to enlarge the scope of its possible adaptability with the machine in which it is employed and to insure a more reliable and uniform distribution of pressure on the pro jecting marginal portion of a shoe, including the welt than heretofore obtainable, while avoiding the possibility of displacement or distortion of the welt during applicationof pressure along the shoe bottom. As hereinafter illustrated, the hold-down of the invention comprises a solid rubber-like member shaped to engage the bulging upper of the shoe, the rubber-like member being provided with a concave surface fitting the bulging upper above the crease between the upper and welt and entering between the projecting marginal portion of the welt and the bulging upper, and an articulated reinforcing frame surrounding the upper margin of the rubber-like member, at least one part of which frame is yieldingly mounted for pivotal movement as its only means of support on another portion, so as to provide a more uniform distribution of pressure on the shoe parts throughout the length of the rubber-like member. Preferably, one or more springs are provided, acting between the parts of the frame for exerting a pressure on the otherwise un supported frame part.

These and other features of the invention, as hereinafter described and claimed, will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in right hand side elevation of a portion of a machine inwhich the hold-down of the presentinvention is employed;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the hold-down illustrated in Fig. l in connection with the machine of the prior application;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing the manner of mounting one portion of an articulated reinforcing frame upon another portion shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and i Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of portions of the machine including a shoe being operated upon, taken along the line IV IV of Fig. 1.

The invention herein illustrated is intended for use with a machine similar to that of inventors prior patent above identified. The machine of the prior patent comprises a main frame 1, a pad box 2, a pad 4 in. the box for engagement with the sole of a lasted shoe, and last heel and shoe toe engaging members 6 and 8 mounted in the machine for sliding movement in a direction lengthwise of the shoe to accommodate different sizes and stylesof shoe. To apply pressure to the bottom of a shoe disposed between the pad box and the last and toe members 6 and 8, the frame 1 has mounted in it a vertically sliding piston 10 to the upper end of which the pad box 2 is secured. The pad box 2 has adjustably pivoted upon it a forepart presser portion 12 carrying an anchor plate 14. The anchor plate 14 has a bearing lug through which passes loosely a vertical stud 16 formed atits upper end with a yoke for supporting a. welt hold-down arranged to engage the bulging upper of the shoe while being pressed against. the. pad 4. V The hold-down is so constructed that it is capable of. being flexed to conform to the shape of the bulging shoe upper adjacent the crease between the upper and the projecting marginal portions of the shoe, the parts of the hold-' down at opposite sides of the shoe being movable toward and from each other.

Referring to Fig. 4, a shoe being operated upon by the hold-down is constructed in accordance with the usual Goodyear welt practice and is provided withan upper 18 stretched over avlast 20,. on which also ismounted a ribbed insole 22, a welt 24 being attached in laterally projecting relation to the marginal portion of the upper and the rib of the insole by an inseam 26. To complete the shoe, the hold-down of the present invention. enters the crevice formed by the crease between the bulging upper and the projecting marginal portion of the welt to prevent displacement of the welt during the application of pressure to the shoe bottom required for attachment of an outsole 28, the arrangement of the present hold-down being such that uniformly distributed pressure on the welt is obtained simultaneously with 1 the application of pressure to the central area of the out-.

sole. The illustrated hold-down is constructed formounting on the stud 16 in the anchor plate 14.of the machine of Fig. 1, and the hold-down is capable of being flexed as 'it is supported by the last 20, the parts of the.

hold-down at opposite sides of the shoe being movable toward and from each other.

Welt hold-downs for prior shoe bottom pressing machines have been arranged to engage yieldingly withthe bulging upper of a shoe being operated upon but, on, account of the extremely heavy pressures exerted on shoe bottoms by such machines, these hold-downs have frequently become displaced from proper operating position, affording an opportunity for damage to the shoe or to the hold-down itself. v

With the present (hold-down it is pressed yieldingly' against the bulging shoe upper by a force increasing in, proportion to that exerted by the shoe bottom pressing machine, rather than by a simple limited yielding force, as in prior machines. For this purpose, the, present hold-down is actuated to press both the bulging upper laterally and the projecting marginal portions-of the shoe i vertically by a cramping plate 30, mountedon thenra-g chine and formed with converging surfaces 32 arranged; to exert a yielding force laterally against the bulging; upper simultaneously with and as a horizontal com ponent of the vertical pressure against the outsole 28 (Fig. 4).

Instead of arranging the cramping plate to act directly on the hold-down, it is mounted to bring its converging surfaces 32 to bear against a pair of supporting links 34 and 36 pivotally connected at their rearward ends to yokes 38 mounted for swiveling movement on two relatively movable side parts 40 and 42 (see Fig. 2) of an articulated angular frame arranged to reinforce and to secure in place an elongated flexible member 44. The flexible member 44 is composed of a rubber-like material with suflicient rigidity to prevent displacement of the welt during application of pressure to the shoe bottom. The elongated flexible member has along its lower innermost extremity a wedge shape entering and fitting within the crevice between the bulging portion of the upper at the crease between it and the welt.

The bulge in the shoe upper is determined by the shape of the last on which the shoe parts are mounted, and although the curvature of the last which provides the bulge may vary somewhat from one portion of a shoe to another or from one shoe to another, a generally concave surface on the flexible member 44 will accommodate a wide range of shoe sizes and styles. Upper and lateral faces 45 and 46 on the flexible member 44 are relatively fiat and form between them a right angle, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The sectional shape of the angular frame 40, 42 includes horizontal and vertical flanges and is such that it reinforces the flexible hold-down member 44 and maintains it in rigid contact with the shoe under all conditions, receiving the lateral pressure exerted by the cramping plate in direct proportion to the solepressing force applied to the shoe sole by the machine. Between their forward adjacent ends the two parts and 42 of the hold-down frame are separated to enable relative movement as the flexible member 44 is bent to conform to a shoe. To prevent displacement of the frame parts 40 and 42 along the flexible member, they are joined together serially by a spring 47 (Fig. 2) connected between studs 48 on the respective frame parts.

The flanges of the articulated angular frame engage uniformly with the right angle faces on the flexible member 44, and connected to the part 42 is a separate serially connected part 50 of the same general shape for reinforcing the outer right angle faces of the flexible member 44 along the outside ball portion of a shoe. Once introduced into the crease between the upper and the welt and the machine set in operation the forces exerted by the machine and the frictional engagement of the lower innermost extremity of the elongated member prevent its displacement and insure that the desired results are obtained.

As the only means to support the separate frame part 50 it has rigidly attached to its upper surface a slotted lug 52, within the slot of which is pivoted a yieldingly mounted arm 54 rotatably supported for angular movement on a horizontal screw 56 threaded into a swivel bracket 58 mounted, in turn, on the articulated frame portion 42. The arm 54 has an upstanding projection between which and an opposing projection on the bracket 58 is compressed a spring 60, surrounding a stop screw 62 threaded into the lug on the arm 54, the screw 62 passing loosely through the bracket 58. By this construction the spring acts between the frame portion 42 and the frame part 50 to exert a yielding downward pressure on the frame part 50, so as to distribute the force applied to the shoe margin as the pressure-applying piston 10 of the machine rises.

The hold-down frame part 50, being supported in no other manner than from the frame part 42, also has yielding means connecting it with the frame part 42 for urging the flexible member 44 laterally against the bulging shoe upper through the action of the cramping plate 30 on the frame part 42. The swivel bracket 58 accordingly has a pivotal mounting on a vertical screw 64 (see Fig.

3) passing through the bracket into a block 66 rigidly secured to the upper flange of the frame part 42. The bracket 58 has passing through it a stop screw 68 (Fig. 2) adjustable for limiting the relative movement be tween the frame parts 42 and 5t) and a laterally projecting perforated finger on the bracket 58 is connected to a spring 70 stretched between it and a pin 72 on the frame part 42. The arrangement of the spring 70 on the frame part 42 is such that it urges the frame part 50 inwardly toward the bulging upper of a shoe until the stop screw 63 engages a lip on the block 66, thus giving a preliminary shape to the flexible member 44 while a shoe is being positioned on the pad 4.

To assist in retaining the flexible member 44 within the articulated frame, the different portions of the frame have secured to them by screws 74 a series of angular clips 76, the downwardly extending ends of which are received within notches of the flexible member.

With the hold-down constructed in the manner described, an extremely uniform distribution of pressure is obtainable on a shoe bottom when utilized with a cramping plate, enabling the shoe parts including the outsole 28 to be cemented to the welt with greater accuracy in conformity to the supporting last 20 and with more uniformly flattened welt than is usual with shoes previously produced by a cementing process. After attachment of the outsole 28, the welt 24 maintains its uniformly flattened condition without being twisted or wrapped about the bulging shoe upper in a manner common to shoes having cement attached outsoles. With a shoe construction having a flattened laterally projecting welt of this type, it is possible to ornament or to indent the surface of the welt more readily than heretofore to give it the appearance of a stitched Goodyear welt outseam or in other respects.

The supporting links 34 and 36 constitute portions of a hold-down carrier, the construction and mode of operation of which is more fully brought out in inventors prior patent above identified. Additional elements of the hold-down carrier include a cross head 73 (see Fig. l to which the forward ends of the links 34 and 36 are pivoted for horizontal movement toward and from each other. The cross head 78 is integrally connected along its midportion to the forward end of a central bar 80, the rearward end of which is secured to a block 82 having reduced spindle portions projecting through slots in the supporting links 34 and 36. The central bar 30 is slidable lengthwise in a block 84 mounted for pivotal movement in the yoke at the upper end of the stud 16. thus providing a mounting for the hold-down, which is capable of universal self-adjusting movement on the forepart presser portion of the pad box.

The cramping plate 30 is also mounted on the holddown carrier for movement with the hold-down itself, so that it is inseparably tied to the hold-down where it is always in position for immediate action and selfadjustrnent. For connecting the cramping plate for selfadjusting movement on the hold-down carrier, the block 82 has rigidly connected to it a vertical threaded stud 85 between a nut 86 at the upper end of which and a forwardly projecting perforated portion of the cramping plate is confined a compression spring 88 surrounding the stud. The cramping plate also has a slot within which the lower end of a spindle 90 is pivoted. Surrounding the spindle is a compression spring 92 confined between the cramping plate and a collar 94 on a hollow sleeve 96, the spindle being slidingly engaged within the sleeve 96. At the upper end of the sleeve 96 is a joint formed by a ball head surrounded by a correspondingly shaped socket 98 mounted on a relatively stationary part of the machine frame. The arrangement is such that when the upward pressure on a shoe is first exerted by the piston 10, a shoe mounted on the pad is restrained from corresponding movement with the lastand toe-engaging members 6 and 8, which yield Slightly while adjusting themselves under increasing pressure and while the pressure is being distributed along the pad 4. Upon application of further pressure by the piston the yielding action of the lastand toe-engaging members 6 and 3 enables the pad box 2 to be raised slightly higher from its position of initial engagement of the pad with the shoe, compressing the spring 92 and applying additional yielding downward pressure to the cramping plate 39. The additional pressure on the cramping plate increases the contracting force of the hold-down against the bulging shoe upper in corresponding proportion, the vertical flanges of the articulated angular holddown frame parts acting to prevent displacement of the hold-down member 44 by distributing the lateral pressure along the sides of the member 44 and the horizontal flanges of the hold-down frame parts acting to distribute the vertical pressure of the welt along the margin of the sole in a manner more effectively than has been possible heretofore.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A hold-down for supporting the projecting marginal portion of a shoe against pressure exerted along its bottom surface comprising an elongated solid rubber-like member shaped to engage the projecting marginal portion and the bulging upper of the shoe and provided with a concave surface fitting the bulging shoe upper above a crease formed by the projecting marginal portion and the upper, in combination with an elongated articulated frame arranged in reinforcing engagement with the elongated member, at least one serially arranged par-t of which frame is yieldingly mounted for pivotal movement as its only means of support on another part of the articulated frame.

2. A hold-down for supporting the projecting marginal portion of a shoe against pressure exerted along the bottom surface of the shoe, comprising an elongated solid rubber-like member shaped to engage the projecting marginal portion and the bulging upper of the shoe and provided with a concave surface fitting the bulging shoe upper above a crease formed by the projecting marginal portion and the upper, in combination with an articulated third part, which is otherwise unsupported, and a spring acting between said first mentioned one side part and the third part for exerting a yielding pressure on the projecting marginal portion of the shoe beyond the first mentioned one side part.

3. A hold-down for supporting the projecting marginal portion of a shoe against pressure exerted along the bottom surface of the shoe, comprising an elongated solid rubber-like member shaped to engage the projecting marginal portion and the bulging upper of the shoe and provided with a concave surface fitting the bulging shoe upper above a crease formed by the projecting marginal portion and the upper, in combination with an articulated frame arranged in reinforcing relation to the elongated member, said frame being composed of two relatively movable and connected side parts and a third part, an arm pivotally mounted on one of the side parts and arranged to extend into supporting engagement with the third part, which is otherwise unsupported, a spring acting between said first mentioned one side part and the third part for transmitting a yielding pressure against the rubber-like member to press it toward the projecting marginal portion of the shoe beyond the end of the first mentioned one side part, and a second spring acting on the arm for transmitting a yielding pressure against the rubber-like member to press it toward the bulging upper of a shoe engaged by the hold-down.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,172,263 Smith et a1. Sept. 5, 1939 2,349,068 Dawson May 16, 1944 2,388,426 Macdonald Nov. 6, 1945 2,428,061 Baker Sept. 30, 1947- 

